In the spring of 1881, a large comet with intense illumination captured the world’s attention. First spotted in the southern hemisphere in May, the Great Comet of 1881 became visible to the northern hemisphere on June 22. Trouvelot sketched the event from direct observation on the night of June 25 at 1:30 a.m., later using these images to make finished drawings. By placing the Harvard College Observatory in the foreground and depicting the scene from the perspective of an observer on the ground, Trouvelot emphasizes that the event was visible to the naked eye of the everyday viewer.